Mark set for a busy period

World junior 100 metres champion Mark Lewis-Francis starts a long haul of 60-metre contests in Stockholm tonight - the first of a series of four meetings which he hopes will see him play a prominent part in the race for top spot in the EuroSeries competition.

World junior 100 metres champion Mark Lewis-Francis starts a long haul of 60-metre contests in Stockholm tonight - the first of a series of four meetings which he hopes will see him play a prominent part in the race for top spot in the EuroSeries competition.

Preliminary rounds and finals could see the brilliant 19-year-old Midlander run at least eight races in the Swedish capital.

The intensive programme continues in Ghent next Sunday, followed by competitions on his home patch in Birmingham and Lievin near Lille on the following weekends.

Lewis-Francis admits it will be a tough schedule, but sees the series as a build-up to next month's European Indoor Championships.

Lewis-Francis, last year's World Indoor bronze medallist said: "I don't think I'm in quite the shape to run under 6.50 seconds at the moment, but I'm fairly certain it will come in the near future.

"I was delighted at finishing so close to Jason (Gardner) in Cardiff on Sunday. Not in my wildest dreams did I think I would get so close to him. He also taught me a lesson to learn that I shouldn't get so tense about my opponents before the race."

Lewis-Francis leads a strong contingent of Britons at the meeting, including his Birchfield Harriers team-mate Daniel Caines.

After a storming victory in the Swedish capital a year ago, Caines went on to win the World 400 metres gold medal.